Free PHP2Shell scanner tests hosts with live probes

Feeds.4Sysops •IT News • October 22, 2026

Searchlight Cyber’s free, open-source php2shell-scanner checks whether a host is exposed to the PHP2Shell flaws, which PHP patched on October 21 . Rather than relying only on the PHP version advertised by a server, it sends targeted requests to test whether the vulnerable behavior can be triggered. That makes the check more informative—but potentially disruptive. Source

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Critical PHP2Shell Vulnerabilities Prompt New Detection Tool Release On October 21, 2026, PHP released patches for two critical vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both rated CVSS 9.2. These vulnerabilities, known as php2shell, can be exploited by sending targeted requests that trigger a PHP memory exhaustion condition. Searchlight Cyber has developed a free, open-source scanner that tests hosts for these vulnerabilities using live probes, rather than relying solely on version checks. The scanner's method is more informative but carries a risk of disruption due to the nature of the checks. The vulnerabilities were disclosed publicly on October 21, 2026, with the first proof-of-concept (PoC) appearing the same day. Organizations using PHP are urged to assess their exposure and apply the patches released by PHP. 2 sources 71

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Tools (2)

PHP2Shell Php2shell-scanner